SME's in SA are far behind when it comes to online marketing of their businesses.
Small businesses are not willing to take the financial 'risk' to test the waters although the ROI is always excellent if a good marketing company is used.
There are also a few good free advertising companies around in SA. It would be good to start there, get a few clients and then reinvest in more expensive marketing methods such as SEO, etc.
A great starting point would be to check out
www.booom.co.za
Hope this helps.